Last Sunsets, Tamales & Friends – Desert Hot Springs, CA
One day left and we’re outta here. Then, I’m off to Europe (brrrrrr!) for Christmas. I’ll be gone until the end of the year and I’m not sure if I’ll be blogging from there (to be determined), so the blog may or may not go dark for a while. Before I leave however, I did want to update y’all on our final time in Desert Hot Springs and give you a couple of nice desert sunsets to warm you up and take you through the next few agonizing potentially wheelingit blogless weeks (I know, I know, it’s tough, but as they say distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?).
Honestly not too much to report from our little winter hide-away by the hot pools. We’ve continued our usual process of jello-blobbing in the pools and enjoying the desert. We’ve enjoyed the company of many blog readers, several excellent happy hours (thank you to all our neighbors), visits by other blogger friends (Mali Mish, Boondockorbust and GoneWithTheDogs have all dropped by, amongst others) and even a pop-in visit by two other sets of famous bees, Technomadia and the RV Geeks.
The former are dear friends and we have enjoyed a most excellent week of fun, including a visit to the annual Indio International Tamale Festival. We first attended this tasty extravaganza last year and enjoyed it so much we decided on a repeat visit this year. Having multiple mouths to feed meant we got to try at least 12 different types of tamale’s including several gourmet versions (can you say chocolate tamale with dates, walnuts and raspberries???!). A MOST belly-satisfying afternoon!
The latter are new friends who we’ve stalked on their RV how-to YouTube channel for years. I actually had a devious plan which involved luring them into Desert Hot Springs, capturing them via the clutches of a few slyly-placed margaritas and then holding them hostage for our slide topper replacements.
At the last minute the notorious Desert Hot Springs winds rushed in and blew that plan out of the desert (I know, my word-smithery here is masterful) , but we did manage to hang out a bit and we did also do the work (albeit RV Geek-less) so that’ll be the topic of a future Easy RV Mod blog post.
Coincidentally and completely unrelated to everything else, we also managed to squeeze in a few days of food poisoning (we suspect) which left us intimately acquainted with our RV toilet and is a topic best not written about, preferably completely forgotten and hopefully never (ever, ever) repeated again. Ugh!!
But in the end what we’ll remember most, apart from the friendships, are the fabulous desert sunsets. There’s a science to it, of course, but in person it’s just the most intense, most overwhelming color experience you’ll ever have.
It’s not just the stillness that accompanies nature’s final show, it’s the broadening of neon lights that blasts the sky and overtakes your senses. A desert sunset will connect you to the very soul of the earth and for those few moments of light-induced fantasy, you will forget everything else and just float on the beauty and wonder of the world. In these times, where everything in the news seems so unsettled and frightening, it’s a most-welcomed relief. I know this may seem crazy, but somehow these desert sunsets reassure me of the future of mankind.
So with those thoughts I leave you, my dear friends. My wish is that this same warmth permeates your December and gives you a most peaceful Christmas (or Hanukkah, or Winter Solstice, or whatever else you celebrate). If I don’t check-in before I wish you all a most excellent few weeks and a roaring start to 2016.
Funny, you’re about 450 mile west of us and we had the same sunset tonight. While pretty, I reckon we might get wet soon.
Enjoy your trip and the holidays!
LS
We definitely got some rain today. Actually it was kinda a crazy day with wind, rain, snow-in-the-mountains you-name-it. Finally calm now, but what a day!
Nina
I was right. The Huachuca Mtns have snow down to the Fort. Pretty sight to wake up to, though.
Pat
Tamales? Guava/cheese tamales? oh my goodness gracious that sounds wonderful. Sounds like you had a lovely time at Sam’s.
Nina and Paul, We wish you a peaceful Christmas and an exciting New Year. We look forward the time when we cross paths again.
Love, Sue, Dave, Lewis and old Sasha girl
The tamales were AWESOME. Can’t possibly recall how many we tried, but suffice to say we did NOT leave hungry. Definitely hope we cross paths again soon! Polly sends kisses.
Nina
Hi all, great picture of our three favorite favorite bloggers. The sunset, wow.
We’re here in Norco California boondocking on our friends 2 1/2 acres.
Have a great trip everybody drive safe and have a great holiday
Sound like you’ve snagged the perfect spot. Have a great holiday too!
Nina
Wow, those indeed are some fiery sunsets. Maybe it’s kind of typical there, but sunsets that red and fiery in the PNW are seldom seen, even in summer.
Had there been wind recently to get a lot of dust particles in the air to make your sunsets so alive?
We’ve definitely had a few windy days, but most of my best sunsets were taken on clear, still days. I think the air is just so clear here the colors pop more. No humidity or other particles to diffuse the light. It’s been pretty spectacular.
Nina
It certainly is spectacular! Makes me wish I were in the SW desert too. LOL! I guess I thought there’d need to be some stirring of the earth to achieve those spectacular skies, but what we find in Mother Nature is always a joy and a surprise.
Merry Christmas to you and Paul. And have a great time while in Europe. Be safe and happy throughout the season and I look forward to your posts upon your return from the holidays.
Thanks for sharing and happy holidays to you both.
Thank you for the gorgeous sunset shots! Enjoy you trip. See you next year!
Incredible photos..thank you for sharing those beautiful sunsets….safe journey and look forward to your posts in 2016.
You never know…I might get inspired to write again from the UK 🙂 Have a great December!
Nina
Jello-ish-ness. We escaped the PNW Monday. Plan had been to leave on Tuesday but snow was expected in the Siskiyou’s on Wednesday so moved take-off to Sunday. spent Sunday night outside Portland then drove (slogged, splashed, rowed) through Portland on Monday (Portland had the most rain ever recorded in one day on Monday). Currently in Chowchilla for the weekend. By Wednesday will be in Q-site. Anticipating the solitude and quiet.
Food poisoning in an RV IS the pits.
I hope you and Paul have wonderful, fulfilling holidays.
You’ve had quite the drive! We’ve got a few RV buddies stuck in the PNW and we’ve been watching the torrential rain storms up there closely. Lots of damage, especially along the coast. So sad. I’m glad you guys made it out.
And yeah the food poisoning was horrible. Spent 2 days doing nothing but crawling between the RV couch and the RV toilet. Ugh!
Nina
It’s been so wonderful being together again.. well except for the you guys getting sick part 🙁 And so glad Peter & John and all our other friends here were able to crash the party to join us.
And damn girl, we saw those sunsets with you, and your photos blow me away!
Until next time our dear friends!
It was great to have this time together albeit short. Wishing you both a wonderful December!
Nina
We were so happy to finally get to meet you both face-to-face… however brief it was (we take NO responsibility for the weather OR your gastrointestinal distress). And we’re looking forward to our paths crossing again soon!
Travel safe!
Hmmm…I don’t know. I think I blame you a little for the weather LOL. It was fabulous to finally meet you too.
Nina
Merry Christmas!
Good food, good friends, good times. My favorite recipe. As always, thank you Nina for sharing your art and your awesome word-smithery. Definitely a welcome reprieve from some of the recent events, particularly here in California. Safe travels this holiday season to you and yours. And may the true spirit of this season, be with you all year long.
Michael
The news has been particularly hard recently. I’ve tried not to watch, but I also don’t want to be ignorant about what goes on in the world either. Thanks for the lovely words, and may the true spirit of the season be with you this next year too!
Nina
I enjoyed the beautiful sunset shots. I think the west has some of the most beautiful sunsets to be seen. Although my granddaughter will tell you the best ones are at the beach. We will be enjoying the holidays in the southeast in our sticks and bricks. Have a wonderful holiday and safe travels.
I do love reflection sunsets, so anything with water is a total treat. Hopefully we’ll get some nice ones in San Diego too.
Nina
It’s at times like those when you think to yourself ‘hmmmm…I need to brush up on my housekeeping skills’. 🙂
Yeah we did ALOT of cleaning/disinfecting after our “events”. Not fun either.
Nina
You capture the drama of the sunset. Safe travels and happy holidays to the 3 of you.
Happy holidays to you too! I’m excited to see what retirement holds in store for your hubby.
Nina
Merry Christmas Paul and Nina, safe travels Nina and enjoy your time spent with family. Food poisoning is awful–been there and hope to never be again!
Merry Christmas to you and the cowboy too!
Nina
We are in Mesa testing our systems getting ready for Quartzsite, maybe our paths will cross.
Sounds like fun! We probably won’t be hitting Q this year, but I hope you have a blast!!
Nina
Sounds like a fun friend fest at Sam’s:) Nice that you had some time with Chris and Cherie:)
The sunsets have been wonderful these last few nights. We had the best show I’ve ever seen last evening with Sue and Dave. Just amazing color surrounding us and in constant change.
Have a safe trip home and enjoy the holidays with family:)
Merry Christmas to you, Paul, and beautiful Polly!
See you soon down the road:)
I saw Sue’s sunset shot on her blog last night and was blown away!!!! Looks like you’re in an amazing spot to enjoy the show too.
Nina
Merry Christmas to both of you. Travel safe! Thanks for the sunsets, I’m looking forward to seeing them myself, in about a month.
You’re coming south??!! How exciting! Can’t wait to see your pics Mary!
Nina
We enjoyed getting to connect with you again. Always enjoy your beautiful photos and words from the heart.
Safe travels to Europe and have a very Merry Christmas! Hopefully get to see you again in 2016!
Great to meet you guys too. Thanks for the link on your last boondocking post.
Nina
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a great 2016…..may it be filled with love and laughter!
Thank you!! To you too!
Nina
You are being sent off with so much warmth and love… Can’t get much better than the glow of the desert, company of good friends and some yummy food (mostly). Have a great trip back to Europe, seeing your family… Emotional times, I’m sure.
May you, Paul and your furry ones have happy holidays and may the next year be another wonder-filled celebration of life.
Thank you so much. What a lovely & eloquent way to put it! I’m going to miss these warm, crazy sunsets in Europe, but it’ll be nice to be with family. A most happy holiday to you too!
Nina
Safe travels. We “blew” into town yesterday, we are around the corner at Catalina. Maybe we will catch up later this winter sometime. Or this summer if you head to the PNW .
Glenn & Linda ( Bend-Crux meeting)
Have a wonderful trip and we look forward to your return!
Merry Christmas kids. Be safe and make some memories. Bring a few pictures back home to share with your fellow travelers.
Papa, Lala and sweet Anni
I’m bringing all my camera gear so I’ll definitely be shooting some pics over there. Who knows…I may even see snow!
Nina
Safe travels to the frosty north, and happy holidays to both of you. We look forward to your next blog update, but enjoy taking a break, Nina.
Sally and Peter
Tamales are a Christmas tradition in Texas where I grew up. Yumm, the chocolate ones sound great.
Lovely sunset pictures.
Have a great time at home. And we will be waiting for the next edition.
The chocolate ones were surprisingly delicious! I was amazed at the number of gourmet options at the festival. I think I could definitely eat tamales for Christmas…yummy!
Nina
Have a safe trip you two! Wishing you the best this Christmas season, and many great Sunsets in your future.
Thank you much! Merry Christmas to you too!
Nina
Totally fabulous orangeness! Winter hideaway by the hot pools sounds divine with great friends or not. Hot pools, just typing it makes me smile. Not so with close encounters with the loo. Glad you are better and well enough to go jetting off. Enjoy your holidays and come back safe and sound. Pretty sure I won’t be posting anything until you get back or possibly even by then or ever who knows…..only the warriors on both sides of the google/microsoft conflict do.
It’s a painful time for all the Blogger/LiveWriter folks out there. Hope it gets resolved for you.
Nina
Safe travels and Happy Holidays.
Thanks! To you too. Hope you get to enjoy some warm weather soon.
Nina
You’re right – incredible sunsets!
Lovely, lovely fiery sky colors. You’ll surely miss them. We spent part of the weekend working on the new house down in Gold Beach during torrential rains. What fun!!! 😉
Wishing you happy holidays and safe and pleasant travels.
I was thinking of you guys with all that crazy rain up there. Hopefully we’ll cross paths with you on our way north next spring.
Nina
Sitting here looking out the window at miserable, and I mean MISERABLE weather, all. I can say is JEALOUS!!!
I’ll be joining you soon. Looks like I’m flying into around 2 weeks of solid cold and rain in England. Paul is going to be the only one left in the sun.
Nina
Thanks for the “warmest December” wishes. Somewhat prescient, as we are indeed having the “warmest December” that I can remember for quite some time. And we’re well north of the Mason Dixon line. Enjoy your stay.
The whole NE is having a crazy warm start to the winter. I’m very curious to see how the rest of El Niño works out. We could be in for some serious rain in SW and you could be in for your warmest winter in NE. A rare turn. Of course CA really needs the water, so I can’t complain too much, but I can’t deny I’m going to miss the sun.
Nina
Thanks for the lovely sunsets. Safe travels home, and happy holidays to you and Paul and Polly.
That palm tree against the brilliant orange sunset is lovely. Wishing you safe travels and a joyful holiday.
As always, beautiful pictures Nina. Safe travels and happy holidays!
Thank you for the absolutely stunning photos of the sunsets! So far we can only imagine them and live through yours and other’s blogs. Maybe next December we will be able to not only see them for ourselves but meet you in the warmer temps. It will hopefully be our first time to the southwest, first time of many.
Merry Christmas to you and Paul and safe and happy travels!
Sure do hope you manage to get down here someday. Wish you a very Merry Christmas too!
Nina
Hi Nina,
I know you see lots of folks out there and have many followers—including ME! We have decided to sell our 2014 Mercedes Diesel on Sprinter body–Solera by Forest River…24.5 with deluxe package, Diesel and Slideout.
It only has 16,000 miles on it and is in perfect condition. We just can’t travel right now. Someone is going to get a sweet deal on this Motorhome—our loss is their gain. Please let anyone you know that may be looking…..It has an overhead Queen and a back corner double/rvqueen, tons of indoor and outdoor storage, 2 tv, back stabilizers, full body paint (no decals). We chose this model because of all of the storage and, well, it is a beauty. Happy Holidays—just love your photos and writing! Cynthia …cynhuff2012@gmail.com
Thanks for the travel stories and fab shots of desert sunsets and happy holidays to you too (or as my pal has it “Holly Happydays”)…the only thing good about food poisoning (had it twice this year) is that afterwards it allows one to reset one’s eating – an enforced fast, then bland food, then healthier food. Able to carry the healthier eating regimen forward (and feel better/more energy). If I don’t reintroduce the “bad” stuff…which eventually happens. 🙂
Well, all I can say is that I definitely lost a few pounds. Not sure I want to recommend it as a dieting option tho 🙂
Nina